Daryl,Here is the address for the relocated William Powell:
Carrs House, 1 Tramway, Banbury,Oxfordshire, OX165TD.
E Mail
http://www.william-powell.co.uk You are correct when you comment on the excellent quality of guns made by William Powell. Powell,s quality earned him the pseudonym,"The Purdey of Birmingham".This upset the late Athol Purdey, resulting in a sharp exchange of letters between Messrs; Purdey and Powell, which I am pleased report ended amicably.This exchange of letters is covered in the book,"Purdeys" by Richard Beaumont, pages 95-98.
Based on recent auction and advertised prices for best English guns, Powell,s guns are in my opinion a "best buy" if quality rather than name is important to the purchasor.
The Powell lifter action is covered in detail in the book, "The British Shotgun'Vol 1 By D.Baker & M.Crudgington,; Pages 139,140,141.Relevant patents are ,Lifter Action #1163 of 1864; Load indicator #1055 of 1869.
Frankly I get very nostalgic when it comes to Powell guns, reliving the countless visits to their Birmingham shop over a period of almost 60 years!
